1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighted hand tool that can be used to illuminate a tool or work piece grasped thereby, and more particularly to a lighted plier hand tool, in which the lighted plier hand tool includes a plier member having a handle portion and a light source received within a portion of the handle portion.
2. Background Art
Developments in the art have produced various solutions to the problem of technicians working on equipment and components positioned in poorly-lit environments. For example, automobile and industrial components are often located inside of unlighted enclosures or in areas that block external background light. This problem is particularly troublesome for industrial equipment that is located next to other components that can easily be damaged or that present a hazard to the technician, such as exposed high-voltage sources.
One prior art solution to this problem is a trouble light, which is a light that is connected to an outlet by an extension cord and that the technician hangs in a position to illuminate the component. One obvious problem with this solution is the requirement that an electrical outlet or other power source be located near the equipment that is to be serviced. Additionally, a trouble light and its extension cord are bulky so technicians do not normally carry them when inspecting and adjusting equipment.
Another solution in the art is the development of tools that generate their own light, instead of using external lighting. The advantage of this approach is that the beam of light generated by the tool is directed at the area where the technician is performing the work. Thus, the lighted tools can be used to manipulate nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners in the poorly-lighted environments using light produced by the tool itself. One example of this solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536, which issued to Montgomery in 1941. More recent examples of similar tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,324,158 to Le Roy, 5,577,829 to Hall, and 5,628,556 to Hrabar et al. The lighted tools have been found to be more advantageous than other prior art techniques.
However, many technicians still carry small flashlights in addition to the lighted tools. One reason is that the light generated by the tool is diffused passing though the tool more than passing through the lens of a flashlight and, therefore, the light from the tool is a lower intensity than from the flashlight. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a hand tool, such as a lighted plier hand tool, that has a light source which provides illumination to the desired work surface or object to be grasped by the plier hand tool that closely approximates the illumination that would be delivered by a separate small flashlight.